Zach Cole takes his game from St. Joe’s to the pros as a draft pick in the National Lacrosse League

On Sept. 10, St. Joseph’s faceoff specialist Zach Cole was selected by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs with the 44th overall pick in the third round of the National Lacrosse League draft. In the 2022 lacrosse season for the Hawks, Cole played in 34 games and contributed eight goals and 10 assists.

The Mount Laurel native has racked up numerous accolades during his time on Hawk Hill, including 2019 Northeast Conference rookie of the year and 2021 and 2022 NEC player of the year. He earned third-team All-America honors in 2021 and second-team honors this past season.

Las Vegas is an expansion franchise that will be the 15th team in the NLL. According to Cole, joining the Desert Dogs, along with accepting a full-time job with the consulting firm Deloitte in the fall, is something he is looking forward to.

“It’s a really cool experience to be a part of an expansion team,” Cole said. “I’m really looking forward to getting started with them next year.”

Cole was one of the nation’s best faceoff specialists during his time on Hawk Hill, and coach Taylor Wray said he saw the mentality and skill set needed to succeed at the next level.

“If you want to be good at your sport, you need to enjoy doing the work,” Wray said. “You need to bring a level of excitement and enthusiasm and hard work to practice each day and have a competitive fire that keeps you going.”

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Wray played eight seasons in the NLL, including four for the Wings, after being selected second overall in the 2003 draft. He was named rookie of the year and defensive player of the year in 2004. According to Wray, Cole is the right type of guy for a budding franchise to have because he is self-motivated and will bring the same focus and intensity to every practice.

“Zach treats his craft like a professional already,” Wray said. “He does not need much external motivation to get him to take the time to do the work.”

Assistant coach Mike Rastivo said Cole is always looking to be better, even when he’s performing at an elite level. “Zach does a great job of being his own biggest critic,” Rastivo said. “He always comes off after every rep in games and wants to see the iPad, see how he can improve his form.”

Cole will need to continue having that drive to succeed at the next level. The NLL is a box lacrosse league, which is different from the field lacrosse that the Hawks play. According to Wray, Cole might need some time to acclimate to the difference.

“I think learning the indoor game is not going to be easy for Zach,” Wray said. “It is a very different game.”

Wray said he thinks that Cole can be an elite faceoff specialist in the NLL if he is given time to develop.

“He is a talented enough athlete and a tough enough competitor that it will just take him a little bit of time to learn some of the nuances of the indoor game,” Wray said. “Once he figures it out, he’s going to be a terrific player for that franchise.”

According to Cole, he has some box lacrosse experience, but not at a competitive level. “I think the change is going to be really interesting,” he said. “I think it fits into my kind of playing style. ...

“At that level, everyone is skilled athletically, with their stick work and different things like that. I just need to find my niche and be able to work hard at the little things that I’ll be able to improve on.”

According to Wray, Cole embodies the three core values that the team holds: selflessness, engagement, and discipline. Wray said Cole is like a robot at practice, and his example of those values rubs off on the rest of the team.

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“I think through living those values himself, he sets the right tone for the rest of the guys in the program,” Wray said. “He has really developed into a great role model and a vocal leader over the last few years.”

Cole will not join the Desert Dogs until the 2024 season. A fifth-year senior, he will play out his final season of eligibility for the Hawks before trying his hand in Las Vegas. According to Cole, he has enjoyed being a part of many good seasons at St. Joe’s and is looking forward to continuing to put the program on the map.

“Every person from St. Joe’s who plays at the pro level has a good reputation there,” Cole said. “I think it’s an honor to be playing at St. Joe’s and represent them on a higher level.”